Surface RT Users: No Ethernet For You!

Tipped off to an official Surface Ethernet adapter I wasn’t previously aware of, I figured that Microsoft had finally gotten it right because, after all, no existing Ethernet adapters work on Surface RT. But it turns out the joke is on me, and on all Surface RT users: Even Microsoft’s official Surface Ethernet adapter does not work with Surface RT.

Of course, you have to read carefully to figure that out. “The Surface USB to Ethernet Adapter connects your Surface Pro to a network when Wi-Fi is not available,” a note on the unit’s product page reads. So no RT.

Now, I already knew this, generally speaking. I’ve tested three different Ethernet USB adapters on Surface RT, and while all of them work without any fuss on Windows 8 (and more specifically on Surface Pro), none work with Surface RT. This is true after installing the Windows 8.1 Preview update as well. Yes, I checked.

OK, so I’m behind the times in not realizing that Microsoft has already delivered a Surface USB to Ethernet Adapter. But how the heck could Microsoft release a mainstream Windows operating system in 2012 and then update it in 2013 and not include Ethernet support in either??

This has to do with the ARM chipset. With ARM the x86/x64 drivers they use for Ethernet would not work. WiFi is something that ARM has a lot of support for but I can only think of a couple ARM devices that have ethernet (Raspberry Pi being the most notable) and they all use a special ethernet controller. I know the USB to Ethernet adapters typically use a Texas Instruments controller in them and that may be the issue is that there are no ARM based drivers for Ethernet.

Most logical explanation I've seen yet, except that it's been available as a work-around, and we're seeing from the posts that Microsoft is actively seeking to block the use of these drivers... so whether it's a performance/stability argument or just being petty, we don't know... hence the aggravation.

Huh, only a few ARM devices have ethernet support? Plenty of routers, NAS and other network equipment are based on ARM SOCs. There are also servers all the way from $100 Sheeva plug computers to professional $$$$$ ARM-based Caldexa servers. Yes, sure, you need drivers for it, but it's not as if it is alchemy -- especially if you position WOA tablets as mainstream devices.

Surface RT did support USB 3.0 Ethernet adapters I used the Avastar Wireless N-adapter from, and it stopped working after the update to 8.1. See my device manager pic from my RT showing the adapter was recognized at one point. (note the adapter no longer works for my surface pro as well) https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=67037722EAEFC2CE!1066&authkey=!AAhX6Vfu9TDOQeI

I agree with this as well. It appears in a forum link above that they have also disabled the drivers. It is obviously handy in places that don't have great wifi reception or none at all. My friend bought a USB Ethernet cable a few weeks ago to activate a new modem for his ISP as his old one somehow gave out. The Surface RT is his only computer currently.

Why would Microsoft go so far as to demand that nobody uses a USB Ethernet cable with the Surface RT?

Then I guess I won't be upgrading my Surface to 8.1, then. Shame, as it looks to be a fantastic update, but my USB-to-Ethernet adapter is more essential for my job.

I don't think Microsoft realise what a wonderful network tool the Surface RT is with an Ethernet adapter. Its far more portable than a laptop and has far better battery life and weight than one, too. It's so much better than lugging a laptop with my on networking jobs.

It's like Microsoft want to kill of RT before its out the cradle. They should be expanding its featureset, not restricting it. I'm hoping that future Atoms and Haswell will kill RT stone dead now.

Where's the point in needlessly hobbling a platform and crippling existing user functionality (even if it is undocumented)?

Almost hate to mention this, but get a full Win8 tablet. I'd suggest an ASUS ViVoTab Smart. It is smaller and lighter than the Surface RT, runs full Win8 and is selling for $399. Keyboard options are there if that is important, but nowhere near as slick as the Surface offerings, Still, it will load drivers, is priced well, and performs at least as well as the Surface RT, and the battery life is comparable.

I hate to mention it because with stuff like this available, RT has no chance, and I like RT. It will be great for smaller form factors where the desktop really is marginally useful, and the Modern Interface is where you'll spend your time anyway. The batterry lif needs to be better than a Haswell equipped device, and it needs to be cheaper than one as well.

I found this out some time ago. But it turns out this wouldn't be so great anyway.

That's because Surface RT (and most tablets) uses a glacially slow eMMC-based NAND storage subsystem rather than a SATA SSD as on Ivy Bridge and Haswell tablets. Even in the best case you can only achieve about 20Mb/s write speeds to the Surface RT's built-in storage; and about 10Mb/s to a micro SD card.

Given the relative slowness of disk transfers on the Surface RT, more than half the bandwidth of even USB 2.0 Ethernet would be wasted.

This doesn't really excuse Microsoft's lack of support for these kinds of devices in Windows RT. It will become much more problematic for future devices with faster storage. But apparently Microsoft has not published a DDK for Windows RT and you cannot install drivers from Windows Update. The only hardware that works is whatever Microsoft shipped in-box with the OS.

The fundamental problem that Microsoft faces with Windows RT is that of mismatched expectations. They want people to view it as "tablet plus", but instead many people see it as "PC minus". Hard to see how they can overcome that until they kill the desktop entirely and provide a lot more guidance for what scenarios Windows RT is especially suited for.

Wow. I'm getting a little disappointed with the directions Microsoft has been going in. The business people (as opposed to the product people) seem to have a firm hold of the company. The technical quality of their stuff is still great, but the way they decide to limit their products is disheartening.

I don't get it. Surface Pro is clearly a superior, far and away more desirable product than the iPad (the iPad, a slate which can't keep its browsers from crashing if its electronic life depended on it). Yet at the same time offers Microsoft insists on sabotaging itself by pushing the Surface RT hoping to get people all caught up in the inferior and wanting, inspired by greed, metro walled prison.

Microsoft: forget about forcing people into the Metro Prison Facility. The people who like that sort of thing will wander in of their own accord..

Why not just be known for the superior product - Surface Pro - and forget about RT which will only serve to embarrass you, drag you down, and have customers complain and be disappointed?

I would venture that, by the time Windows 8.1 Pro is ready, the Surface Pro hardware will be updated. If they can get it all to align and price it so it will sell, they will have a winner in Surface Pro.

Surface RT, on the other hand, offers nothing special that Apple isn't already doing well and succeeding at, thank you very much.

Ah, but Paul, you do know the answer. In my best Gerard Butler from 300... THIS...IS...MICROSOFT!

Maybe stuff like this, the missteps, are why they're reorganizing the company. Maybe Balmer is just as dismayed as to how a company can work so hard to build up quality products and momentum, only to see it dashed by blunders a company of their size simply should never make, as we are.

I am an IT Professional. I currently use a Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter on my Surface RT and it is extremely useful for being able to troubleshooting purposes (ie, plugging into a switch to access the console or configuring a router) without forcing me to drag my big laptop around all the time. Given that this driver gets forcibly broken by Microsoft in Windows 8.1, I will not be upgrading and I doubt I will be the only one. Microsoft - please stop removing drivers that have been already released and are working simply to promote your idealism. Let the consumer decide - if they don't want it, they'll stop buying the adapters. Does Sinofsky still secretly work at Microsoft? This is very upsetting.

because Ethernet gives too much control to the users. You can simply pull the cable if all the phone home gets too much. With Wi-Fi it's more difficult, - some devices don't even have a turn-off button for Wi-Fi connections anymore.

Like what? It's called Airplane mode. Yes, even my non WWAN RT has that setting, and it turns off WiFi and BT, which you can turn on and off independently. Can't think of a single device I have that I can't turn off the WiFi, and I have a few, between laptops, tablets, ereaders, and phones.

To those who wonder if drivers would need to be rewritten from scratch: No. They are in 99.9% of all cases written in pure C, so they only need a recompile for ARM. My guess is, that the more drivers exist, the higher the probability is, that a kernel mode exploit will make it possible to create a jailbreak to run desktop apps recompiled for ARM.

No, they have patched it. It doesn't work anymore in the 8.1 Preview of Windows RT. And now think about what you can do with Teensy Devices that can get an arbitrary VID/PID you can give them and arbitrary behaviour you can program into them. Quite a huge attack vector, I would guess.

This is a huge disappointment.. I'm using Surface RT 8.0 with a Cisco USB adapter in Airplane Mode to run tests in isolation from WiFi reception problems. If Microsoft keeps pulling capabilities from RT, it will be only as good to play chopsticks as iPad (referring to a recent ad). What are they thinking?? The Xbox One debacle comes to mind, and how they backtracked following the user outrage. We should make enough noise about this issue to make Microsoft allow the RT be more what it currently is, not less.

I agree that there's no reason to arbitrarily remove support for something that's already supported, but I can't help feeling a little amused by it. It's as if they're trying to pull an Apple by completely removing technology that's just beginning to decline in use.

I bought the original Ipad 64GB, it only lasted less than 18 months. Somehow the wifi did not work. I took it to Apple strore, they would replace it with an identical Ipad1 if I was prepared to pay £200 ( $300). There was no way I would agree to it as there was already an Ipad3 for £400. Now if only Ipad could use Ethernet adapter. As it is , the Ipad is now useless.. So Ethernet has its use in my opinion.